For Immediate Release:
Contact:
Janice Sevre-Duszynska, D.Min. (Media)
(note
change in my email address: Add 1)
rhythmsofthedance1@gmail.com
859.684.4247
Bishop
Bridget Mary Meehan, sofiabmm@aol.com
703.505.0004
Georgia
Walker, gkwalker@juno.com
816.572.3453
On
Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015, at 2 p.m., the Association of Roman Catholic Women
Priests will ordain Georgia Walker the first woman priest in Kansas City, MO.
The presiding bishop will be Bridget Mary Meehan of Sarasota, FL. The ceremony
will take place at St. Mark Hope and Peace Lutheran Church, 3800 Troost Ave.,
Midtown Kansas City. All are welcome. A reception will follow in the church
hall.
We
celebrate the glory of our God arising in this community, Bishop Bridget Mary
Meehan writes, “as
we ordain Georgia Walker, a prophetic woman of peace and a leader who has worked
with justice seekers from all races, ages and creeds.”
Georgia
chose this day for her ordination because she entered into the Sisters of St.
Joseph on the Feast of the Epiphany, so it has many special memories for her.
Georgia writes: “It feels special to me because of the strong image of
light...not just a reflective kind of light marking the incarnation of Jesus as
God's LOVE in the world, but a kind of luminosity shining out from us as the
embodiment of the Divine in our world. As co-heirs and co-creators, we are
compelled to bring hope and dignity to all without exception, especially those
who are on the margins of our church and society.”
A
native of Kansas City, in 1985, Georgia Walker experienced a major conversion
and became a Roman Catholic. For twelve years she was a Sister of St. Joseph
during which time she pursued course work for a Master of Arts in Pastoral
Ministry at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis. She also became
involved in the ministry of working with men and women coming out of prison as
Co-Director for the Center for Women in Transition and as a Re-Entry Specialist
at Catholic Charities.
She
has been active in practicing restorative justice methods and utilizing
mediation and conflict resolution. After a three-year stint of working for a
coalition of 85 agencies serving the homeless in Kansas City as a Program
Specialist and accountant, she returned to a ministry of direct
service.
She
is now the co-founder and Executive Director of Journey to New Life which is an
agency that specializes in serving homeless men and women who suffer from
addictions, mental illness and chronic health conditions as they are coming back
from prison. Using what is known as the “housing first” model of treatment,
individuals are provided with a safe permanent home and wrap around services to
help them chart and follow their own journey to a new life. Over the last twenty
years she has done accounting for numerous parishes, schools and social
agencies. Georgia has always been a consummate political activist working for
justice, equality and peace. She currently serves on the Board of Peace
Works-Kansas City and often engages in nonviolent civil disobedience and
volunteers at a local Catholic Worker house.
She
was ordained a deacon in July 2014 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Currently, she is
working on the completion of a Doctor of Ministry Degree.
Most
recently, Georgia’s non-violent, active civil disobedience has involved
“crossing the line” at the old nuclear bomb parts plant in South Kansas City to
protest the toxic waste dump that has been left there when Honeywell and the
Federal government opened a new bomb plant further out in the countryside.
Hundreds of workers have either died or are suffering from major chronic
illnesses due to exposure to toxic chemicals at that site. The dump has now been
turned over to a private developer to clean up the toxic waste. For this action
she was convicted of misdemeanor trespassing and was put on one year of
unsupervised probation by the Municipal Court of Kansas City. The next day she
“crossed the line” at Whiteman Air Force Base with Nobel Peace Prize nominee,
Kathy Kelly, to protest the drone warfare being controlled from that site. It
was their intent to deliver two loaves of bread to break bread with the
commander of the base and present him with a criminal indictment for the illegal
activities being conducted at the base. For this action Georgia was convicted of
misdemeanor trespassing and was put on one year of supervised probation by a
Federal court. At least for the next year, she does not plan to cross any more
lines!
Georgia
plans to minister as a priest with men and women in five Missouri state prisons
located in the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese. In addition, she hopes to begin
meeting with individuals in Kansas City who are interested in creating a local
inclusive community where all will be welcome at the table and all will be
co-equal in their participation in liturgy, service and
governance.
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